Steering-wheel drive for speedometers



Sept. 4,- 1923.

- F. G. WHlTTlNGTON STEERING WHEEL DRIVE FOR SPEEDIOME'IIERSU Filed Juhe s, 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 4,- 1923. 1,466,865

' -v F. G. WHITTINGTON sm mme WHEEL muvn FOR SPEEDOMETERS F iled June 5. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 frame/K 5 WH/rrMam/v.

Patented Sept. 4 1923.

entree states rannnarx G. 'wnrrrri eron, or 'mtrensron, rLmnois, nss elvon T STEWART-I wnnwnnrsrnnnorvinrna} oonrona'rion, on CHICAGO, rrmrrtors, e oonrona'rron wa mer-m a sweaters-WHEEL DRIVE non srnnnomnrnns.

Application filed June 5, 1922. Serial No.: 565,8 86.

To (1% whom it may concern: Figure 16 is a detail section at the line,

Be it known that I, FREDERIKG. WH1T- 1616, on Figure '2. 55 p 7 TINGTQN, a citizen of the United States, re- In the structure shown in the drawings,

siding in Evanston, in the-coiinty ofGook l is a rigid axle of the vehicle, 2 the fork and the State of Illinois, haveinvented oer of the steering knuckle thereon, 3 is the tain new and usefullmprovementsinSteersteering knuckle spindle, is is the steeringingWVheel 'Drives for Speedometers, vot wheel of which 5 is the hub having'the 60 which the following is a specification, refflange, 5", for securing the spokes. 6 is a erence being had to the accompanying drawhelical gear which is mounted on the steer- 10 ings, forming a part thereof. ing wheeli'concentric therewith by means and The purpose of this invention is to pro-V by virtue of detail construction hereinafter vide an improved construction in driving described, for driving a pinion,;7, secured to 65 connections from a front'or steering'wheelthe end of th'e'rotary element, 8, of the flexof an automobile for drivinga speedometer ibleishaft, whose casingcomprising the ter-:

or other instrument carried on the vehicle. Ihinalferrule, 9,.thereot,.is clamped for po- 5 It consistsin the elements and features of sitioning the flexible shaft in the twoepart construction shown and described as indiclamp member,'lO- -1l, of the bracket, of 70L t d i th l i whose principal member, ;12, the clamp Inthe'drawings: member, '11, is a terminal part, which brack- Figiire 1 is a plan view of a portion of the, et. comprises a co-operating clamp member,

steering wheel and axle of an automobile 13, for clamping the bracket on and adapted y equippednwith the invention shown in outf r a j t entxabout the aXiS Of the knuck e 7 li l spindle, 3. As seen in Figures 1, i and. 5,

Figure 2 is an inner side elevation of the the construction of the bracket, 11, 12, for

same partshown inFigure 1, the fixedaxle engagementv with and clamping upon the being thereby. in vertical section, knuckle spindle is, that the clamp member, Figure 3 is aview looking in thedirection 13, is formed for hinge engagement with 80 of the arrow, 3, on Figure 1 the member, 12, the latter having an aper- Figure 4e is a sectionat the line ei 4i, on ture, 12, and the clamp member, l3having Figures 221ml 3. l a hook terminal, 13*, adapted to be hooked Figure 5 is an elevation looking in the .diintov said aperture as seen most clearly in rection of the arrow, 5, on F igure' i. Figure 4, and in; the hookingj operation to S5 Figure 6 is an elevation looking in the be swung around to clasp the spindle,1 3, so directionofthe arrow, 6, on Flgure 4 a as to'beclamped thereto by the b0lts,;1

Figure 7 is a detail elevation of a small gaging the parallel positioned; ends of the;

portion of the helicalgear which is mounted parts, 12 and-13, as seen in higure Al; 7 The f on'the st-eeri'ngiwheel. for driving 1 V partsf are dimensioned so asto allow a. limit; 90

FigureiS is a secti n at, the line, 88, on ed range ofadjustment of the clamp about Figure 7. 7' 1 l the axis of they swindle foraccuratel'y mesh- 40 .Figure 9. is a plan-view of a blankdrora ing the spurcgear, 7. with the helical gear, 6,

wliiclithe helicalgearistormed. as seeirin ldigure 1; and the teeth of the H FigurelOr is an .edge elevation of thesame helical =ge r,ibe l b gkj helicfilfolmi 95 at one stage in the process oi tormation by .andfarrangement as seen in Figures 2 and t ping; V 13,1are inclinedlong tud nally w tlrrespect V Figurerll is .an edge elevation, at ajla'ter to, the plane of rotatlon of the gea'fiasseen" f;

and substantially finished tage; .Ti-nQFigure1 so that said gear is not only a -Figure 12 isa backside elevatiomand o f hjelical OIOWII g fl fbut is al'sofa E bQYGIQClilOO V Figure 13 is afface side elevationof the "crown gear, the bevel beinginter oL .The] helical gear when it. isin completedform. angle of bevel is JDEIClGSHG-li thatwhen the' Figures 14 and I5 arev respectively an edge flexible shaft which carries the spur gear,;7, view and facevie w ofthe spur gear which trends'back inwardly at an oblique angle as i co-operates with the helical gear, shown in seen in Figure 1,.torreach ng the speedome- 5 the-precedingfigure. T ter which s to bedr ven, substant ally wlth- I out curvature of said shaft atthe straight- 6, with the spur gear, the teeth of the spur gear travels outwardly along the helical tooth engaged, the engagement beginning at the inner end of said helical tooth and end.-

' ing by the spur gear tooth running off the outer end of the helical tooth; whereby the two gears are caused to clean each other. relating the angle of inclination of the helical tooth to the angle of trend of the flexible shaft, as stated, it is possible to make the spur gear, 7, substantially a direct spur gear without bevel or twist.

For economy of construction and con' venience of mounting the gear, 6, upon the steering wheel securely and at the same time accurately as to its concentricity with said steering wheel, this gear is formed by stamping from a blank shown in Figure 9, by successive steps, as may be understood from Figures 10 and 11, the blank, 6*, being formed with radial fingers, 6, which are successively folded as shown in Figures 10 aiid 11, so that when the gear is completed ready for mounting upon the wheel, said fingers project radially with respect to the gear, being offset back from the toothed face of the gear, to offset the gear from the wheel when said gear is mounted by means of said fingers on the flange, 5, of the hub, being secured by'means of the same bolts, et which clamps the hub to the wheel body or spokes, the nuts, 4 being temporarily removed for the purpose of engaging said fingers, 6, of the gear with the bolts respectively. And for the purpose of accurately centering the gear with respect to the steering wheel, the apertures, 6. formed in the end portions of the fingers, 6, for admitting the bolts are made of greater diameter than the bolts, so that within t 1e range of play thus afforded, the gear may be adjusted accurately' before tightening the nuts.

It will be understood that thejtlexible shaft is clamped to the bracket. 11, 12, 13, by first being lodged as to the cylindrical portion, 9, of the terminal ferrule in the clamp member, 11, whereupon the clamp. member, 16, is appliechand the bolt, 10, tightened slightly him. so that the shaft casing may be "adjusted. within the slight range of adjustment afforded by the excess of length of the cylindrical portion, 9 beyond the width of [the clamp, as seen in Figure 4, to correct y position the spur gear with respect to the helical gear; and when this is done the bolts are tightened for permanently and fixedly holding the end of the flexible shaft casing the flexible shaft casing to the steering knuckle spindle to fix the casing at the driven end of the shaft therein with respect to the plane of the, steering wheel, comprising a unitary part which forms one member of each of two two-membered clamps, one for clamping the knuckle spindle and the other for clamping the shaft casing.

2. In the construction defined in claim .1,

foregoing, the co-operating shaft member for clamping the knuckle spindle being hingedly engaged atone end with said unitary part, and bolt means for securing it'at the other end.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, said unitary part having a slot at the inner side of the seat provided for clasping the knuckle spindle, and a co-operating member for clamping the spindle, having at one edge, a hinge lug engaging the. slot and having at the end opposite saidedge holes for bolts to secure and clamp it to the unitary part. Y v

t. In a construction for the purpose indi cated, a bracket adapted to be clamped onto the steering knuckle'spindle so as to be ad justable thereabout, and having means for.

clamping the casing-of a flexible shaft-,a shaft having its casing held-in said bracket; a gear on said shaft and a gear on the steergear meshes, the steering wheel gear being a helically toothed crown gear; the parts being dimensioned for positioning the shaft trending inwardly at an acute angle to the plane of the steering wheel when the bracket is adjusted on the knuckle spindle for proper meshing of the gears.

5. In the construction defined in claim 4:, foregoing, thecrow-n-gear being inwardly beveled, correspondingly to the trend of the driven shaft to permit the gear on .said driven shaft tovbe a direct spur gear. I

6. In a driving connection from a vehicle wheel -for the purpose indicated, a sheet mg wheel with which the first mentioned metal stamping crown gear member having.

a centralaperture for admitting thewheel hub, and lugs projecting from the outercir: cumference of the gear-toothed annulus and folded substantially right angularly to offand project them away from the centeiysaid lugs being apertured for bolts to secure the set said lugs back from the crown gear; face H 

